Report: Giants are committed to Daniel Jones but are keeping their options open

New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants have now had three seasons to evaluate quarterback Daniel Jones and what he offers as a potential franchise quarterback. He posted 24 touchdown passes and over 3000 yards during his rookie season but fumbled the ball 19 times. He had plenty of growth left to experience, but Jones has been dragged down by poor offensive line play, drops from his receivers, and overall team mismanagement.

Jones deserves a portion of the blame for his bad decision-making, but a lot of his negatives have been forced upon him. Rushing his throws, hyper-focusing on his first reads due to a lack of time in the pocket, and drops are all derivates of others’ failures. However, quarterbacks around the NFL with poor offensive line play have managed to succeed to some degree, just look at Derek Carr.

This season, Carr has thrown for 4162 yards and 19 touchdowns behind the 23rd overall pass-blocking unit. However, you could also use Russell Wilson as an example, currently having one of his worst seasons behind an offensive line that ranks below the Giants. You can make an argument for every scenario that either justifies Jones’s regression or why he should be rising above the negative factors.

However, the front office of the Giants has a big decision to make this upcoming off-season: whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option.

Jones will count $21 million in his fifth season if they elect to accept it, but they could decline, utilizing his services for one more season and extending him if need be.

The selection of a new general manager will likely go hand-in-hand with this decision, and with rumors that Kevin Abrams could be at the forefront of the GM list, the likelihood of Jones sticking around for at least one more season is probable.

In fact, NFL insider Adam Shefter of ESPN stated that the Giants are still committed to Jones, but the change of general manager will keep the door open for other options at quarterback.

Rumors have swirled that the Giants are one of the preferred destinations for Russell Wilson in a prospective trade, but Big Blue may be unwilling to part with significant draft capital, given they still need to bolster the offensive line this upcoming draft and still have faith in Jones.

One way or another, the Giants need a full overhaul of the offensive scheme and line. They will have to trust multiple rookies next season to hold up in the trenches with a lack of salary space available. Ultimately, if the Giants aren’t interested in Wilson, the QB draft prospects are mostly wild cards.

A new GM could take a flyer on Kenney Pickett out of Pittsburgh or even Malik Willis out of Liberty, but neither are established talents expected to be immediate impact players. Most would agree that Willis is in need of a season in the right scheme behind a veteran to fully unlock his full attributes. Pickett could come in and play right away, but one season of inspiring play isn’t enough to justify pushing all your chips in on his services.

The better move might be to stick with Jones for one more year and seize as much draft capital for 2023 as possible, with Bryce Young and CJ Stroud expected to make the jump to the NFL. Nonetheless, the Giants are between a rock and a hard place at this point, and until they find a solution at general manager, their progress could continue to stall.